France is getting it...

I'm seeking other opinions to consider what practical solutions there are and to deal with the conflict of enjoying the work whilst disliking the man.

Wow, you really think that's a dilemma? Child rape put to one side for you to enjoy a ducking film?

Is that why Gary Glitter was wiped from pop history, his pop songs just weren't good enough to overcome child abuse?

I honestly don't even know what to say to that. I think the world would be just fine without Polanski's films, or indeed without anyone's films. I can't imagine any film being worth more than the many girls Polanski has preyed upon throughout his career.

Sometimes young white men

But ageing is another barrier they don't seem to have unlike women

Shed the abusive men, that should be.

It's not only old white men who are artistic geniuses despite what centuries of male dominance would have us believe.

A lot of very talented women in the arts are never seen or heard of etc because of sexism, boys club, and seemingly not insignificantly because they get abused by men and think no thanks I'm out, or have their opportunities destroyed by those in power.

Maybe if we she'd the abusive men and got rid of the boys club, there would be a much more varied interesting range of films art etc etc for everyone to enjoy.

Just a thought.

Kittens I do agree with what you've said and perhaps talented men need to lose their careers before we can reach a state where the abuse of women in these industries is not the norm. I would still grieve the loss to the arts though. I guess the conflict comes from if the belief that the arts are a gift to be shared with the world and that the world would be worse off without the contribution of someone like Polanski. That said, there is no shortage of directors out there who haven't raped underage girls.

I think there's a significant difference between how you treat a dead artist and how you treat a live one. As long as people go "but he's a genius though" whenever Polanski's crimes are brought up his career will continue, which likely means that a. he will likely continue to abuse women he works with as he has done in the past and b. the message other abusive men will take away is that as long as their work impresses people they're free to do as they like.

We watched Polanski’s Tess of the Durberville’s for A-Level Eng Lit in the mid 90’s. Teacher made a ‘joke’ about why it was filmed in France - to do with avoiding extradition from rape conviction. Most of us were girls - 16-17yrs.

I wonder if he is still shown... for GCSEs/A-Levels

Kittens I'm not trying to avoid the question, on the contrary, I'm seeking other opinions to consider what practical solutions there are and to deal with the conflict of enjoying the work whilst disliking the man. The way we treat the artistic work of abusive men is a question that's come up in recent years in arts management, and there is yet to be a commonly agreed upon solution - to censoring paintings, for example. I don't think I've ever bought a ticket to a Polanski movie anyway, so I'm not contributing to his financial success and feel better about that at least. I think his work shouldn't be submitted for awards, but at the same time I consume his films - should I feel guilty about that? I think a lot of people feel the same as me about this.

Funnily enough Clive James 'Unreliable Memoirs' was chosen by one of the guests (Richard Harrington) on BBC's 'A Good Read' this week.

The other guest, Njambi McGrath, highlighted what she thought were some problematic (to say the least) aspects of the memoir--James recollection of an obviously troubled young girl. She is described as having sex with a number of the boys in James' peer group, often while the others watched.

McGrath made a stand on this.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000fp5r

It seems like you're trying to avoid the question of what you, personally, should do. Other people can tell you what we'd do but that's still a decision that you have to make yourself and that can't be offloaded to others.

I don't know what should happen, that's why I'm asking, and I think it's important to relate this to other artists even if those men are dead, because I don't think the arts industries know what to do either. For me as someone who appreciates the art of these men I also feel uncomfortable thinking about how they have treated women. I don't like the thought of Polanski making a profit but at the same time enjoy his work and think he's a genius, so it's unsettling.

Frogs you seem to be having an argument with yourself. Yes, I'm aware he was found guilty, and as such he should do time. I'm not missing anything, what point are you trying to make?

And he's still alive now and just got an award.

Stick to the case in point rather than talking about men long dead who were never convicted.

What do you think should happen

'I'm sure we can all agree Polanski should do time for what he did'

You still seem to be missing the point that he was tried, convicted, sentenced to a jail term and absconded.

We don't all have to agree it, a judge mandated it decades ago.

Frogs I've said EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of what you claim I have, I said he SHOULDN'T be honoured. I realize this is a sensitive subject but it's not helpful to utterly misrepresent what I'm saying to try and make a point, and I don't think we're on opposite sides here in any case, as I'm asking a question rather than defending anyone. I'm sure we can all agree Polanski should do time for what he did. My question relates to how society should manage artists who have committed crimes like this in terms of their body of work. For example, Paul Gauguin was a pedophile, Picasso was abhorrent in his treatment of women, so what should we do with their work now? Should it be removed from galleries? As for Polanski, as he is unlikely ever to be sent to jail, I'm asking if he should be allowed to have a career, and if that could even be prevented? I'm looking for a practical solution.

What I'm saying is, he's not just a creep, he's a predator with a trail of documented predation that goes back decades. He is never going to change, and he has already left many victims in his wake. How many is too many, if the one he was convicted of drugging and raping wasn't enough?

The old films exist and should be allowed to continue to do so, but I really see no reason why he should be allowed to continue making them given that he should be in jail.

The question that I think is being danced around is whether anyone should support him in continuing to make new films, which would include supporting that via paying to see said films as well as supporting his career more directly by working with him, giving him awards, etc. My answer would be "no", and the fact that he's outright fawned over by both the film industry and critics despite everyone knowing perfectly well what he did says all kinds of things (that women and girls don't matter, that sexual violence is just to be expected, that "genius" somehow overrides everything and is so important that if someone is deemed to have it then keeping them out of jail is in the public interest, etc).

And yes, there are lots of men in that industry who've harmed women and girls, but the specific details of Polanski's case and the fact that he's continued to victimize women and girls ever since puts him into a category that's less sleazy creep who keeps grabbing his costars arses and more Harvey Weinstein.

He should be extradited to the US for sentencing and jail time. That's what should happen to him.

'I find him utterly repellant in that video, but what is to be done with someone like this? He should have been put on trial in the States'

He was though, convicted and given a jail term that he absconded from.

He is a criminal on the run.

You say it seems wrong to stop him being honoured for his creative genius etc.

Jimmy saville is never on the telly now, he was never convicted. As a result we only get the two old episodes of TOTP! not saying he was a creative genius obv but he was very popular, is it right to erase him from our screens even though no conviction?

What do YOU think should happen then.

From the BBC article.

"The decision to honour Polanski at this year's awards had angered feminist groups"

The BBC do not have a clue, do they. The Polanski affair angers any right minded person, the fact that he is walking around free.

I'm clearly not saying there's a grey area, I'm asking what should be done with him.